Interaction between nurses and older adults: lessons from the literature

This paper aimed to shed the light on and discussed briefly the interaction process between nurses and older adults from three different perspectives: theoretical perspective, nurses’ perspective, and patients’ perspective. It has been concluded that nurses have to deeply understand the complexity of interaction process from the different perspectives, including all factors that hinder or facilitate this process to achieve the therapeutic interaction with older adults. That is, if nurses reflect on their interaction process from their own perspective, understand this process from older adults’ perspective, and integrate their understanding with theoretical and clinical knowledge, it is hoped to achieve the therapeutic interaction with older adults and meet their health needs. However, there is still a huge gap in literature to support the importance of the therapeutic interaction with older adults. While further empirical research is needed to understand deeply all contextual factors that influence the interaction between nurses and older adults, continuing education for nurses to interact effectively with their older patients is also needed.